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50 signatures reached
To: The Honourable Angela Thokozile Didiza, Speaker of the National Assembly
Communities Before Corporations: Reform South Africa’s Mining Law for Justice and Accountability
We call on the National Assembly to:
1. Amend the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) to explicitly recognize Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for communities before any mining rights are granted.
2. Strengthen Social and Labour Plan (SLP) enforcement and introduce community-based monitoring mechanisms.
3. Ensure that environmental rehabilitation and protection of land, water, and health are enforceable legal obligations, not voluntary undertakings.
4. Mandate that women, youth, and marginalised groups are included in mining-related decisions and benefits.
5. Introduce penalties and blacklisting for companies that violate laws or abandon mines without proper closure and rehabilitation.
6. Initiate a Parliamentary Inquiry into the social, environmental, and economic impacts of current mining operations and abandoned mines
Why is this important?
South Africa’s mining wealth has benefited corporations more than the people who live on the land. The MPRDA Amendment Bill currently under consideration provides a historic opportunity for Parliament to correct this imbalance.
Communities organised under MACUA, WAMUA, and YAMUA call on Parliament to ensure that future mining is just, transparent, and people-centered, where human rights, environmental protection, and gender equity come before profit.
We believe Parliament must reaffirm its constitutional duty under Section 59(1)(a) to facilitate public involvement in the legislative process, especially for communities most affected by extractive industries.